Name the 32 y.o., All-Star, RH OF(114)1B(70), who in 1969, led his league in total bases (340), was 2nd in HR (48) and R (111-tied) , 3rd in HR per. (8.1), 4th in H (175) , BB (102) and slugging per. (.574), and tied for 5th in RBI (111). He also led his 86-76 club in average. (.296) and AB (592). (17 2B, 2 3B, 96 K, 1 SB- in OF, 3 assists, 4 errors, .974). He hit a homerun in ’69 All-Star game. 16 year ML career highs in H, HR, R-only 100+ year, and SB-tied. (Answer Below)

(Reggie Jackson, after a pinch-hit HR off Dock Ellis in the 1971 All-Star game in Detroit hit a transformer, had it not, it’s estimated distance would have been 600 feet.) “I smoked it, didn’t I? I could feel that one from the top of my hat to the tip of my toes,” he said. “It was a fastball right down the middle of the plate. That cat wanted to challenge Reggie and see how far he could drive that ball. When I hit that tater, I looked over at him and saw his eyes get as big as grapefruits. He couldn’t believe what Reggie had done to the man. Maybe he has learned some respect now. Maybe next time he will know better than to throw a straight fastball to Reggie down the middle of the plate. This game is a show, man, and I wanted to entertain the folks out there who paid good money to see all those great players. They got their money’s worth. You don’t see none of those folks lining up at the exchange window asking for their money back after that. They paid good money, and I gave them a good show. It will be awhile before anybody kisses that transformer up there again for a while. Will they put my name in white paint up there?” “No,” one reporter said, “they are going to send you a bill for breaking the damn transformer.” Reggie laughed at that and said, “I hope they don’t have a power shortage out here because of me.” “Reggie”, the reporter said, “one thing they’ll never have any place you’re around is a power shortage.” (Mr. October: The Reggie Jackson Story, (1981), Maury Allen)

Answer: Frank Howard (Washington Senators)

29

Baseball Munchies from the 70s

Name the White Sox manager who took over the moribund last-place Chicago club in 1970 and finished with a 3-13 record as the White Sox wound up 56-106 overall; the worst non-expansion record of the period. In 1971, he made Wilbur Wood a starter and the club improved by 23 games to 79-83 and 3rd place in the AL West. In 1972, he led the White Sox to an 87-67 strike-shortened, second-place finish, 5.5 games out of first in the AL West. (Answer Below)

Jerry Remy (Red Sox): “If you had listened to the fans on one of those radio phone-in shows after the one-game playoff with the Yankees (in 1978), you’d have thought we finished last. The next day a guy at a gas station told me I had cost him $10. I reminded him it had probably cost me $25,000. But it shows that the players aren’t the only ones who care. (HOPING FOR THE BEST, EXPECTING THE WORST, Larry Keith, Sports Illustrated, July 30, 1979)

Inside the New York clubhouse (Dave) Kingman was horsing around before the game against the Reds, lifting players above his head. “He doesn’t realize how strong he is” said (Joe) Torre. “He lifts guys as if they were beer cans. I just hope he never tries to crush Bud Harrelson (150 pounds) like a beer can. We’ll be minus one hell of a shortstop. (Dave Kingman: The Emergence of A New Home Run Star, Hal McCoy, Baseball Digest, Aug., 1976)

Name the 30 y.o., All-Star, LH 1B(94)OF(69), who in 1970, had ML career highs in ave. (.329-2nd in his league), R (125-led league), BB (128-3rd in league) and SB (23-1ed club). He had the most combined H (186-4th in league) and BB (314 total) in the period (’69-’80). He also led his league in slugging per. (.592) and total bases (335) and was 3rd in HR (40). He went 4 for 6 in the 1970 All-Star game with 3 singles and a double. (566 AB, 29 2B, 102 RBI, 86 K-at 1B, 8 errors, .990) (Answer Below)

“I once went five-for-five with five different bats. I kept switching ’cause none of them felt just right. After I got to three-for-three, I said, ‘Maybe I better keep switching.”‘ – Roy White (Yankees) (The Bat: A Hitter’s Most Prized, Pampered Possession, Thomas Boswell, Baseball Digest, Jan., 1979)

“Ballplayers are like overgrown kids,” he (Texas’ Toby Harrah) says…. “We’ve played games all our lives. We’ve been put above ordinary people by the fans. People write about us and give us things. It’s easy to lose perspective in this sort of life. But it’s such a short part of our lives that we must try to enjoy it while we have it. That’s what I’m determined to do- get the most out of it.” (TEXAS IS NOT A LONE STAR TEAM, Ron Fimrite, Sports Illustrated, May 17, 1976)

When you have hands as bad as mine, one hand is better than two. – Ken Harrelson, (C1e.) on why he caught balls one-handed, 1969 (VOICES OF BASEBALL, (1983), Edited by Bob Chieger)

Slotted salaries allow teams to take gambles on QBs. Houston and Cleveland have enough defense. If they believe one of these QBs can be a franchise Super Bowl winning QB, they have to take him. What if you trade down and Manziel, Bortles, or Bridgewater leads another team to the Super Bowl while your team squanders four more years of mediocre QB play. The owners of JAC and CLE want results. If HOU and CLE GMs pass on these QBs and one of them wins big, they are guaranteeing their own firing. If you think one of these guys is “THE GUY”, put on your Big Boy GM pants and take him HOU, JAC, CLE, and OAK. STL working out Manziel is a total smoke screen though. PHIL’s Chip Kelly loves Manziel, but not enough to take him in rounds 1 or 2. DAL has too many other needs to take Manziel unless they trade Romo. Since 2008, the Cowboys are 26-13 when Romo’s QB rating is 100+, but they are only 6-6 in the last two years. Of Romo’s 4 100+ QB rating losses from 2008 to 2011, 4 are to the NYG. None of the 6 2012-2013 100+ QB rating losses are to the NYG. DAL is 3-1 vs the NYG in 2012-13. GB is 42-9 when Rodgers has had a 100+ QB rating since 2008. The Cowboys problem is in personnel procurement GM/Owner deficiencies and not in its starting QB.